“No Man’s Sky” Will Cost $60? Is It An Outrage?

No Man’s Sky is an incredibly vast space exploration game that is being brought to us by indie developers Hello Games. The game, as explained by the company’s director Sean Murray, is supposedly going to be breaking new ground as it will allow players to explore practically an infinite number of fully sized, fully living and breathing planets, each with their own atmosphere and ecosystems.

But that’s not why you clicked this article. You know what No Man’s Sky is. Hell, everyone does. No, you clicked this article to read someone else’ thoughts on the current buzz going around the gaming community regarding No Man’s Sky apparently to release at the full retail price of a “whopping” $60. On a recent post on the Playstation Blog, Hello Games’ intergalactic sandbox title was listed at the standard $59.99; which obviously had the internet up in arms. The internet got mad, what a surprise. Everyone got mad because Hello Games is an indie developer, and moreover supposedly are a team of no more than 20 people. And obviously as an indie dev, it’s an outrage to charge more than a penny and a half for your game.

My reaction to those whining about the price tag? Get. Over. Yourself. Seriously, just stop. Listen, I am a consumer, and don’t like paying a hefty price for stuff that I want. But I’m also all for supporting content creators and those who work tirelessly to bring me content that I love. I understand that $60 is not pocket change for many, but please take a second to think.

This Is Not An “Indie” Game.

Hello Games have been working on this game for upwards of 5 years. They are not a large company with hundreds of employees and a great number of investors. They are a small team that are bringing us a AAA grade game. Just because we have to use the word “indie” to describe their company, doesn’t mean that what they are bringing us is “indie” in any sense of the word. Now sure I haven’t actually played the game or seen extensive gameplay footage; but from what I have seen, was unlike anything I’ve done so before. When Murray told us about the concept of a procedurally generated universe, it seemed like an extended reach for the idea to actually pan out. But then we saw it in action, and what these guys have created is truly awe-inspiring. Sure, we’ve now seen enough footage and have enough knowledge of the game to the point where we can now dissect and nitpick aspects of the game on stuff like, “will it actually have stuff for players to do?” and “is it just exploration?” because clearly giving the increasingly entitled gamers of this generation an entire universe to explore isn’t enough. My point is, this is not your Firewatch, or Gone Home, or a slew of other “indie” games you can think of that can be finished in an afternoon (not to diminish the value and/or quality of those games). Again, I don’t know what the final product will look like, but with such deep thought and impressive mathematics gone into making this incredibly realized universe, we really should not be comparing it to “just another indie game.” Furthermore, there have been countless times where a AAA developer have released a completely stripped down and unimaginative game and had it cost $60, with barely anyone complaining about the price of it. There are examples of this every year, with the most recent being Street Fighter V. I mean we’ve been getting a Call of Duty and Assassins Creed game every year for the past 5 and no one seems to ever complain about the actual price of those games. They may complain about the games themselves, but not their cost, simply because they’re made by two of the largest developers. No Man’s Sky may end up being completely underwhelming, but if what the game is promising in terms of size and scope ends up happening, then complaining about the price and whether it’s worth it is honestly the last thing we should be doing.

$60 Isn’t Really That Much Money…Seriously.

Calm down, calm down, let me explain. Games have been locked at $60 for the past, well, ever. Hell, some games cost even more back in the 90s. You know how much $60 in 1991 would be worth today? $106.05. 100 bucks for a 16 bit video game that could be beat in less than 3 hours if you knew what you were doing. Let’s look at a couple scenarios: Going to see a movie costs $10-15 depending on where you live, an IMAX movie costs upwards of $18. A movie is a non-interactive medium which lasts ~2 hours, and then you’re done, you can’t experience it again unless you pay for it again. While we’re on going to see things – a concert, sports game, broadway show, all cost between $75-500+ depending on your seats, yet no one ever complains that they’re too expensive. So many more things are comparatively “less worth it” than video games, yet no one complains. I’m actually in the tiniest of minorities that actually feel that games should cost more. And that’s not because I’m balling outta control (have never used that phrase in my entire life), but it’s because I love video games, and truly admire those who make them, and so want them to be successful so that they can bring me more of what I love.

You Don’t Have To Buy It.

It astounds me as to how much people complain about a game, end up buying it, then continue to bash it. If you weren’t interested in it to begin with, and didn’t like the pricing of it, why the f*ck did you buy it then?! You’re not obligated to buy the game. One thing is if you were really looking forward to the game and then were very turned off by the price of it, but even then you don’t have to buy it at launch. Wait a few months for it to go on sale, or borrow a friends’ copy. No one is forcing you to do anything. It’s not like Liam Neeson is out looking for your saying, “I don’t know who you are, but I am going to find you, and I am going to kill you…if you don’t buy this game at launch at full price.” Think you’re being cheated and ripped off by a developer? Well, instead of spending every waking moment protesting on Reddit, speak with your wallet and don’t buy their content.

This whole topic shouldn’t even be a thing. Yes it would awesome to live in a world where you can get everything you want for a smile and smack on the a$$, but unfortunately we live in a world where capitalism thrives. But in all seriousness, I do believe that Hello Games has every right to charge full retail price for No Man’s Sky. I think they’re a passionate group of gamers that want to do something different with this game, and have been working tirelessly to bring it to us; and deserve whatever success they get.

What are your thoughts on No Man’s Sky’s pricing and the cost of games in general? Let us know in the comments below!

“I’m an adult now.” – Is a statement that quickly became null as my sheer joy and ear to ear smile were the only things apparent on me when watching “Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of F.” From playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Genesis to having just completed the Uncharted series; I have played my fair share of games and now love to write about them. I also have an unhealthy obsession with “House, M.D”…Oh and peanut butter…mmm, peanut butter.

If you like news and professional coverage of everyday happenings, well then get the f*** out. Professionalism is for the old people. We write nonsensical, hysteria, borderline Aspergers-esque articles about everything from Super Mario to Donald Trumps latest shared meme from a former white supremacist KKK Grand Wizard.